Modelling Asphalt Pavement Responses Based on Field and Laboratory Data

Abstract

Assessment of pavement responses remains always challenging for pavement engineers as it provides with life expectancy estimations. Actual field pavement and material performance contribute with valuable feedback towards interpreting the outcome of accelerated pavement testing. The incorporation of pavement mechanics within response modelling during real-scale pavement evaluation is detrimental as different assumptions lead to variations on the predicted responses; an aspect which becomes even more significant given the multitude of available materials. The objective of this study is the investigation of potential variations on asphalt pavement responses when using different analysis tools with different mechanical behavior of asphalt concrete (AC) mixes. In the framework of continuous pavement monitoring, a field experiment was performed along a trial section with an elastomer styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified mix in the wearing course and conventional mixes in the AC binder and base course. Data collection and analysis included Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) measurements with the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) of the Laboratory of Pavement Engineering (LPE) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and laboratory testing on cores extracted in-situ. Back-calculated moduli based on FWD were initially used to calculate responses. Viscoelastic responses were estimated after fitting the Huet-Sayegh model on dynamic modulus values of the AC materials tested.